by Leslie Ford –

In 2014, Seeds of Strength awarded $138,000 to eleven local non-profit agencies. Now that their grant year has ended (June 30), I want to share some highlights with you. Part 1 of this blog focuses on six of our grantees. As you read their success stories, I hope you feel as gratified as I do to be a member of Seeds of Strength. Our contributions are doing so much good in the Georgetown community!

Hope Alliance was awarded $20,000 to help fund a social worker during evening and weekend hours. This new advocate provided services to 198 women living in the shelter.  Here is a success story shared by Melinda Biggs of Hope Alliance:

There have been many successes this past year, the most recent being when the evening and weekend advocate was able to help a client find a summer camp for her kids. This client has a daytime job, so she wasn’t able to work with one of the daytime advocates. She was very concerned about how she was going to be able to keep her job, since she couldn’t afford childcare during the summer. Our Night and Weekend Advocate met with the client in the evenings and on the weekends, and together they found a low-cost camp for her children. The client has been able to keep her job, which is a necessary step in getting her own, stable housing. And her children are safe and happy while Mom is at work.

R.O.C.K., Ride on Center for Kids was awarded $20,000 for the Riding through the Door of Opportunity project. This grant made equine therapy possible for 21 Georgetown children aged 2-11 for 14 weeks during the period from September through December 2014. Here is a success story shared by Larkin Tom of R.O.C.K.

A client, who from birth had developed slowly and was very limited in her movement, required constant supervision due to danger of falling. Her mom shared that during the past six months of therapy, her daughter’s fine and gross motor skills have improved significantly. Her falls have decreased, and she is running more and is better at climbing stairs. She is also much less timid and is more outgoing. This little girl can now run to the mailbox, and she greets people enthusiastically. Her world has expanded and her confidence is blooming.

The Georgetown Project was awarded $20,000 to support several initiatives. The SoS grant helped provide residential care for 15 youths at the NEST Host Home. Most were reunited or placed with family members. The NEST Empowerment Center (Drop-In Center) served 90 9th-12th grade students during the 2014/2015 school year; and 7 high school students participated in the Summer Youth Employment Program. Here is a success story shared by Erica McMahon of The Georgetown Project:

A young man, who is a recent Georgetown High School Graduate, has said repeatedly that he would not be here if it was not for The NEST. He received support from every component of The NEST Program; The Host Home, The Empowerment Center and the Summer Youth Employment Program. Because of his success in the Summer Youth Employment Program, he was hired by Goodwill which has allowed him to continue developing his job skills, leading him towards a successful, responsible future!

Brookwood in Georgetown was awarded $20,000 for the BiG Greenhouse Project. The grant provided the down payment on a first-class production greenhouse from Texas Greenhouse Company. Here is a success story shared by Anne Muilman of BiG:

BiG’s expansion into horticulture has allowed us to draw on the expertise of many members of the community. We are working with several master gardeners, who are helping us strategically plan and execute the new space for optimum impact. The growing support for our program and the launch of our first retail/production greenhouse will give us the chance to offer new job opportunities and experiences for our citizens with special needs, enriching their lives in immeasurable ways. While planning the greenhouse, BiG collaborated closely with the City of Georgetown, ultimately choosing a model that will not only be highly functional, but will also be aesthetically pleasing on this highly visible downtown corridor. Already, we are partnering with a local restaurant that uses our herbs in the preparation of its fresh foods – we can only predict that such collaborations will grow as our horticulture program does. We feel privileged to be able to enrich the lives of our citizens with meaningful work and relationships.

The Christi Center was awarded $4,500 for Georgetown Grief Support Groups. Since May 1, 2014 The Christi Center has served 84 adults through the Georgetown location.
Here is a success story shared by Ginger Stieber, Executive Director of The Christi Center:

We asked one of our members in Georgetown what the Christi Center had meant to her in her grief journey and she shared the following; “ What the Christi Center offers …hope and ways to cope with the horrible loss that no parent should have to endure at no cost. The Christi Center is a place where we can talk about our loved one, cry as much as we need, and there is no judgment of our grief. We are encouraged by other parents that are further along the journey of grief.

The Williamson Museum was awarded $3,000 for the Voices from the Past program. The grant was used to purchase 8 new costumes and props. At least 5,000 students were able to be served by a costumed interpreter for their field trips and trunks shows. Here is a success story shared by Mickie Ross, Director of the Williamson Museum:

The opening of our Civil War exhibit allowed us a more public venue to highlight the Voices From the Past program. The characters, in their new costumes and personas, paraded around Georgetown during the Red Poppy Festival and participated in the parade. This public visibility brought record numbers of people into the museum and led to new inquiries from teachers and parents about the program. We could not have made that impact without the support of the grant from Seeds of Strength.

Stay tuned for Part 2 of this blog. It will share results and success stories from The Georgetown Symphony Society, Family Eldercare, Annunciation Maternity Home, Goodwill Central Texas, and Williamson Burnet County Opportunities.